The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-01-06
AN IMPORTED BUTLER.

unfortunately. he was rich. and he had
gone to Europe-as the amiable Sir
Lepel Griffin once said-to finish an ed
ucation that never had been begun ut
home.
Peleg v. Atkinson. without the
Mr." which. in obedience to what he
was assured was New York custom,
he ALWAYS had engraved on his cards,
was worth much at the foot of check.
1t was a great name in the Philadel-
phia marts of trade. Third street knew
and honored it. and it was not un-
known in Wall street. As l said, he
was rich; he had skinned the cream
of Europe" as he phrased it. and he
exhausted all the pleasure that could
be had from drinking Sauterne at
luncheon, when he preferred beer or
ice water, and of making a collection
Of modern French pictures He had
Corot and Meissonnier, Vibert and
Detaille. He never bought two spec
linens of the same artists work. He
talked of his pictures as examples"
He had orchids. cellar of good wine
and two pretty daughters, and yet he
was not happy, because Mrs. Peleg V.
Atkinson WAS not happy.
1t is not easy for people accustomed
to the pleasures of being we'll to do to
bear the weight of riches. When first
knew the Atkinsons they were thor
oughly contented. They drank ice
water when they chose; dined at noon,
and corned beef and cabbage was de-
lght to them. On hot days Mr.. Atkin-
son threw off his coat after dinner,
stuck pipe in his mouth and sat in the
back door in his shirt sleeves, while
Clarissa or Jennie played Listen to the
Mocking Bird" or ''Silvery Waves" by
way of refreshing him before he went
down to the office at the factory. ''Ou
sont les neige d'antan?' asks Villon.
And Mr., Atkinson, in after years of
splendor, often asked the same ques-
ton, in less poetical language, as he
thought of those happy days. Alas!
there could be no more sitting under
the grapevine arbor and smoking the
pipe of peace! Mrs. Peleg V. Atkinson
would no more make the mint julep
with her own fair hands and come out
to waken him from blissful sleep as he
sat in the yard with newspaper over
his head to keep off the flies ON blissful
and drowsy afternoons. Then Mrs.
Atkinson was sat SIZED that her four
white stone steps were equal in size
and pallor to her neighbors', and that
there was no window glass in the whole
town of Philadelphia more dazzling
than hers; but now -!
Clarissa and Jennie played only
Chopin; they could not possibly conde-
scend even to opera music, although
not averse to a dash into Wagner
occasionally. He dined by candle light,
in dress suit and stiff white SHIRT
bosom. which he was always tempted
to cover up with his napkin. He had
taken a house just outside of Washing
ton for the winter, for Mrs. Atkinson
saw no chance of making suitable
matches for her daughters in her
native city. The '.best'' society was
closed to her; she lived on North
Broad street, and therefore Clarissa
and Jennie could not possibly 60 to the
Assembly ball; aud above all things
outside of heaven, of course-Mrs.
Atkinson preferred what is called
society.
Mrs, Atkinson, who was what is call
o capable woman. had come to know
the social characteristic Of American
cities as we'll as she used to know the
points of a good fowl when she did
her own marketing in Philadelphia,
decided that Washington was the best
place TO begin the matrimonial cam
paign. She felt that a foreign estab.
Ushment was preferable to an Ameri
can one and less difficult to arrange.
The rich Americans. as she knew,
| WcIc VOO uuCCt vain Va eAOiA OWA oCsSOoS
to be ready to make what their aristo-
cratic connections would consider
mesalllances. Titles for Clarissa and
Jennie would make all things easy, and
in time she might, with such prestige
even come to glare at Mrs. Cadwalladel
Smythe at the Assembly ball, where
the elect of Philadelphia gathers, a
whose portal she stood, like Moore's
Peri, '.disconsolate.'
Mrs. Atkinson had acquired haugl.
| ty hearing, studied from Miss Morant'i
Russian countess in The Danicheffs. >
She was plump and rosy and imposing
with white hair la Nine. de P0mpa
dour, She seemed to be a great lady
until she opened her mouth.
/. Clarissa and Jennie had become. lik'
their father. unwilling slaves 10 splen
dor. But they had acquired knowl
edge of the peerage. and they knew
i the pedigree Of the new British minis
ter to the remotest qaartering. 1t wa
kind for the family to ask nae to spen'
two weeks at their house outside Q
Georgetown. because it is rot oftcl
that families Of such quality remember
their acquaintapces of the past.
went and when dear old Mr.. Atkinson
met me with brougham at the static!
my heart sank. Riches had aged ~,
old friend; splendor had withered him
the finger which held the immepse sea
ring bearing his coat-of- Farms was thil
and trembling There was NOR
wxinkles in his face than under tn
grapevine srboE His eyes was restles.